"Lucca - Historical gem of the Tuscany" Top 5 Page for this destination Lucca by HORSCHECK

Lucca Travel Guide: 568 reviews and 1,478 photos

Torre Guinigi seen from Torre delle Ore - Lucca

In August 2004 I travelled from Croatia via Slovenia to Italy through Mediterranean Europe. After Zagreb, Ljubljana and Venice I visited Lucca in the Northern Tuscany.

Lucca has all the charm of a tuscan city, but seems to be less touristy than some more popular places in the Tuscany. The compact Old Town with its small alleys is completely surrounded by thick medieval ramparts. Among the main sights are the famous Torre Guinigi, the Roman square Piazza Anfiteatro and the Duomo di San Martino. Nowadays Lucca is well known for its many banks.

The highlights of my stay were the meetings with my VT friend from Lucca and a daytrip to the stunning coastline of the Cinque Terre.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
--- Marcel Proust ---

Pros and Cons

Pros:Historical walled town; perfect base to explore the Tuscany.
Cons:Relatively expensive place.
In a nutshell:Historical gem of the Tuscany.

Last visit to Lucca: Aug 2004
Intro Updated Oct 22, 2011
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Reviews (24)

Local market Shopping (1)

Lucca has a nice local market which takes place every Wednesday and Saturday. The market stalls offer all kinds of... more travel advice

Delay of trains Warnings and Dangers (1)

Travelling by train is relatively cheap in Italy, as long as you only use regional trains (Regionale). For example a... more travel advice

Explore Lucca on foot Transportation (3)

With approximately 85.000 inhabitants, Lucca is relatively small. So especially the walled Old Town with its many narrow... more travel advice

VT member Sioma with a German beer - Lucca

Italian Beer Local Customs (3)

Two popular beer brands of Italy are Birra Moretti and Peroni Nastro Azzuro. Bierra Moretti is brewed since more than... more travel advice

Restaurants (1)
Trattoria da Leo
Hotels (1)
Rooms La Torre
Favorites (2)
See All Walk on the City Wall
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Comments (44)

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mircaskirca Oct 9, 2011 at 9:59 AM

I spent a night in Lucca on the way to Tuscany and reading your tips brought back good memories. I really liked Piazza Anfiteatro and we even managed to walk the city wall. Lovely trattoria for a mini VT meet :)
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magor65 Apr 9, 2011 at 10:47 AM

We've just booked a week in Tuscany for June, so I hope to visit Lucca, as well. I enjoyed reading your tips here. BTH, thanks for visiting my Laos page.
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hunterV Jan 8, 2011 at 10:34 AM

I am sure I would have visited this place with pleasure... Thanks for your story~! ><><><><
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LoriPori May 4, 2010 at 5:14 AM

Wow - Lucca and surroundings are certainly beautiful. The San Michele Church in Foro is esp. wonderful. Odd to see Oak Trees growing on top of the Torre Guinigi. Don't think I've ever seen anything like that before.
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csordila Mar 28, 2010 at 1:32 PM

I passed the city many times by, but never visited. However, I have heared, the downtown is not echoing from the scooters, but from bicycle bells.Thanks for the Budapest ratings. L.
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ranger49 Jan 14, 2010 at 2:49 PM

I bought a guide book for Lucca 10 years ago but have not been there yet! I'm moving it higher up my list of places to visit after reading your interesting page and Tips. Thanks Holger.
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Maurizioago Jul 4, 2009 at 11:32 AM

Hello! Rooms la Torre is located in Via del Carmine, 11; not Piazza del Carmine. Ciao!
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barbskie Apr 4, 2009 at 2:40 AM

i love lucca . thanks for bringing up again our beautiful memories . the tower is gorgeous.....nice photos. thumbs up!
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Writermp Dec 24, 2008 at 7:47 AM

Thanks for all the great pics and information. I'm going to Lucca for two weeks in the Spring, using it as a base.
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margaretvn Dec 2, 2008 at 10:37 PM

enjoyed your page and good tips. We spent one day there and visited the Puccini house which was very interesting. M